Travel Review: Puerto Vallarta Mexico

During the first week of August, my husband and I took a much-needed respite from our daily lives and traveled to Puerto Vallarta Mexico. We chose an all-inclusive hotel but wanted to also do some major sightseeing. While we wanted the comfort of a resort and not having to worry about the food we aren’t the type to hang out by the pool for days on end. We ended up seeing a ton of Puerto Vallarta and I’ll share those experiences with you now.

We stayed at Secrets, an all-inclusive adults only hotel. On the other side of the resort is the kid-friendly Now Amber. The great part about Secrets is you can sneak over to Now Amber’s dining but kids can’t do the same at Secrets.

We loved our room. It had a shower with two types of heads and a jacuzzi style bathtub. The room was spacious and had an excellent view of the ocean. We didn’t opt to buy the preferred package and for us, we didn’t regret it. You do get access to a bar with snacks and a swim out pool if you choose to do so. We found the snacks provided already enough.

The pool has a swim out bar and tons of activities each day. The spa is amazing and worth visiting just to do the water therapy loop.

We did rent a cabana by the pool on our last day for $90 and it came with a private snack menu and a bottle of Moet! We also made friends with am Iguana family living under the cabana bed.

I definitely want to go back to the Now Amber side of the resort with the kids. I think they will love Puerto Vallarta as much as we did!

The beach in PVR is rocky and not white sand. We didn’t go on the beach at all.

Tours

We took two tours with the Vallarta Adventures tour company. The first was for Rhythms of the Night. You travel to a small island via a ferry boat and have a fantastic buffet dinner with the best Mexican coffee I’ve ever had. The buffet had tons of veggies, salads, and fresh fish as well as beef and pork offerings. We then went into an arena made to look like a Mayan pyramid and watched a cultural dance show. The show was full of color and beauty and showcased some of the most amazing singers I’ve had the privilege to see.

The second adventure was to San Sebastian. On the way, we stopped by a handmade tequila distillery. I brought home three bottles. And a cafe that made the most amazing meat pastry pies for breakfast. I really enjoyed learning about the mining and today’s tourism from our tour guide Gabriel.

The City

The best part of the city, in my opinion, is the Zona Romantica. Because there lives Travistos. At Travistos I had a mango margarita, three fish and shrimp tacos and a marlin tostada. Never in my life have my lips tasted such glory.

Zona Romantica features lots of cafes, shopping and an English language book cafe A Page in the Sun. I enjoyed walking the streets there and popping in and out of shops. The souvenirs I brought back mostly came from this area of the city.

The flea market is also a great place to shop and chill. I would honestly skip the mall near the cruise ships unless you’re really craving some American chain food. And if you are with places like Travistos around I am totally judging you.

I think Puerto Vallarta is a great place to visit as a couple or family. We want to visit more places in Mexico and are planning a trip for February. What are your favorite Mexican vacation spots?